Checklist

Switching to Zigaflow: everything you can import from your old system

Beginner7 min read
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Zigaflow

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What you will learn

  • Zigaflow imports customers, contacts, suppliers, items, kits, variants, stock, client assets, leads and historical quotes, jobs, POs, invoices and contracts from spreadsheets.
  • Two import styles: fixed templates you download and fill, and flexi-imports that map your existing columns and save the mapping for next time.
  • Order matters: companies and contacts before documents, items before stock and kits, base variants before their SKUs.
  • Historical documents import as header rows plus items with the old reference kept; the value of a historical quotation goes in the note, not a field.
  • Images, attachments, item attributes and custom fields import in bulk, so the catalogue arrives complete rather than as codes and prices alone.

A checklist of every record type Zigaflow imports from spreadsheets - customers, contacts, suppliers, items, kits, variants, stock, client assets, leads and historical quotes, orders, POs, invoices and contracts - with the order that works and the rules each import follows.

You do not have to import anything to start using Zigaflow, but most businesses switching from a spreadsheet, an accounts package or another job system want their customers, catalogue and open work to come with them. Almost all of it can. This checklist lists every record type the Import Center accepts, the order that avoids failed imports, and the rules each one follows, so you can size the job before you start. Everything here is taken from the Importing Data collection in the help center.

What you can import

The help center groups imports into underlying data, which you need before anything else works, and documents, which are your live or historical quotes and orders.

Underlying data

  • Customers (companies), from a fixed template or a flexi-import that maps your own columns
  • Contacts, with or without a company; a company that does not exist is created by the import
  • Suppliers and supplier contacts
  • Items (products and services), from the template or a flexi-import mapped to your columns
  • Item images and attachments in bulk, matched by exact filename, by the first characters of the item code, or by a filename listed on each item
  • Item attributes and their values, and custom fields, including creating a custom field during the import
  • Kits: which items make up each kit, with quantities and a hide flag
  • Variants: base variants with their option sets and SKU divider, then the SKU items that belong to each
  • Inventory or stock quantities by location, with references or serial numbers, for the first load or for later stock checks
  • Client assets: equipment held at customer sites, with locations added by the import

Documents

  • Leads, creating any customers and contacts that are not already in Zigaflow
  • Quotations: the top-level details of each quote
  • Jobs or orders, with sections and line items
  • Purchase orders, with sections and line items
  • Invoices, with sections and line items
  • Contracts, with sections and line items, linked to client assets by reference or serial number

The order that works

Several imports fail if the records they refer to are not there yet. Follow this sequence and each one finds what it needs.

1

Customers and contacts

Import companies first, then contacts. Document imports check the company name against what exists, so make sure names match exactly. Use the fixed template if your data is tidy, or the flexi-import to map your own columns and save the mapping for the next file.

2

Suppliers and supplier contacts

Download the supplier template, fill it and upload; supplier contacts follow the same way. Purchase order imports need the supplier and, if listed, the contact to exist.

3

Items, then images, attachments and attributes

Import the item list from the template or a flexi-import mapped to your columns. Then add images and attachments in bulk by matching filenames, and import attributes and custom field values against the item code.

4

Kits and variants

Mark kit items as Is Kit before importing their components. Import base variants with their options and divider first, then the SKU items that belong to each.

5

Stock and client assets

Items must exist before quantities are imported. Download the current quantities by location, add yours, and tick the option to remove stock not in the file if you want an exact replacement. Client assets need the company to exist; locations are created for you.

6

Leads and historical documents

Leads can create customers and contacts as they go. Quotations, jobs, purchase orders, invoices and contracts cannot: the company and any contact must already be there or the import fails.

Fixed template or flexi-import

Most imports come in two styles. A fixed import gives you a template to download, fill and upload; the columns are set and the import is quick. A flexi-import takes your spreadsheet as it is: you choose the column that holds the master field, such as the company name or item code, map the rest of your columns to Zigaflow fields with dropdowns, and ignore the ones you do not need. You can save the mapping under a name and pick it next time, which matters when a supplier sends the same price list every quarter. Flexi-imports are available for customers, contacts, items and leads, and are the route for custom fields and attribute values. Files need one row per record and no merged cells.

What comes across with historical quotes, orders and invoices

Historical documents are imported as header details plus items. Every document import requires an ID (your old reference), the Zigaflow status, the company or supplier, the assigned user's email and the initial assigned user's email, and two dates: quoted, delivery and end dates for quotations; start and end for jobs and contracts; required and expected for purchase orders; invoice and payment dates for invoices. Jobs, purchase orders, invoices and contracts carry sections and line items, with the header details repeated on every row of the same document. The old reference is appended to the description so you can trace each record back. Quotations import top-level details only and the quote value is not a field; put it in the note. Contracts link line items to client assets through the reference or serial number.

Names must match

Document imports match the company by name against what is already in Zigaflow, and fail if it is missing. Import and check customers and suppliers before any quotes, orders or invoices, and fix spelling differences in the spreadsheet first.

Before you start

  • Decide the cut-off: which open quotes and orders come across and which are finished in the old system
  • Export customers, suppliers and items from the old system and check names for duplicates and trailing spaces
  • Set up statuses and stock locations in Zigaflow so imports have somewhere to land
  • Agree which user each historical document is assigned to, since the import needs their email
  • Name your saved mappings so the next supplier price list or contact export is a two-minute job

All plans include the Import Center. Compare them on the pricing page, or book a demo and bring a sample of your data; walking through one real import is the fastest way to size the switch.

Sources

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